New photo How delivery drivers are using online notes to avoid dropping off parcels at Christmas time

Pictured: An example of a missed package note by delivery company Hermes 

Delivery drivers are using 'sorry we missed you' delivery notes online to avoid having to drop off Christmas parcels during the busy festive season, a new survey reveals.

Furious customers have complained on social media how couriers are failing to deliver packages, with apps and websites changing their orders from next delivery to being categorised as 'sorry we missed you' while they have been waiting at home.

The survey of 2,000 people by consumer group Which? reveals how nine per cent of customers had received a 'sorry we missed you' note despite being in all day.

Gary Marshall-Stevens said of his missed delivery at home in Cornwall: '@AmazonUK and @DPD_UK woefully inadequate service once again. 

'Your 'systems' create a culture where your drivers are keener to pop 'sorry we missed you' cards through a letterbox than to wait 5 seconds for someone to answer the door and a package be delivered.'

David Williams fumed: 'I hate #HERMES why cannot @Hermesparcels get it right. 

'Did not deliver as prommised by @AmazonUK no card left no knock on the door, on the tracking: 'Sorry we missed you. Hermes UK tried to deliver your package today but didn't want to leave it unattended.' What a load of c***!!!'

Alan, from Brighton, posted on Twitter: 'So just got an email from @AmazonUK saying 'sorry we missed you, we didn't want to leave your package outside'. 

'I've been in all day, we have a porch and a shed as safe spot. Driver didn't come - would be a much shorter email.' 

Julie Docherty, who 'missed' her wine delivery, tweeted: “Never mind.... went from next delivery to ‘sorry we missed you’... I don’t think so. If stood here at the window watching. You definitely never even drove into the street.”

Someone else posted: “What on earth is happening ...been waiting in all day for a delivery only to have an update on the app at 20:04 say sorry we missed you we left you a calling card. 

'Well I have checked CCTV no sign of [delivery driver] and no card. Very unhappy.”

Of the 2,095 people surveyed during last year's Christmas period, more than half (58 per cent) had experienced a problem with online deliveries. File image used 

Of the people surveyed during last year's Christmas period, more than half (58 per cent) had experienced a problem with online deliveries. 

Seven per cent claimed their packages were dumped in the bin, four per cent chucked over the fence and two per cent say they vanished after being 'left with a neighbour'.  

One shopper revealed their dog found their parcel, while another reported their item had been taken away by binmen after being left in the recycling bin.

The survey findings come after an ex-delivery driver revealed he would have to work 18-hour days to cover orders over Christmas.

He told Sky News: 'Working as a self-employed courier in the run-up to Christmas meant 18-hour days with no breaks.

'It meant arriving at the depot at 4.30am to sort parcels and on some days not finishing the shift until about 11.45pm.

'On average I would deliver 170 parcels a day, and on my busiest I delivered 254.'

Alex Neill, Which? managing director of home products and services, said: 'Problems with our deliveries really can be a nightmare before Christmas, causing added stress at a busy time of year.

'If you face a delivery issue, remember that you have rights and should contact the retailer as soon as possible to have your problem solved.'

The survey found 90 per cent of people now buy at least one item online at Christmas, while just over half (51 per cent) buy five or more. 

Almost a quarter (24 per cent) said they faced failed deliveries, while around one in 10 (11 per cent) reported that a parcel had been left outside their door without having given prior consent.

When asked about specific problems, one shopper said their dog found the parcel and was running around with it, adding: 'Luckily he was spotted, and the item removed before he buried it.'

Another complained: 'Delivery drivers often leave items in bins. I even had a laptop left in there once.'

Around three in 10 people (29 per cent) said they received a delivery earlier than expected, which while could be seen as a positive, can potentially cause problems for those who have made arrangements to be at home at the time of the expected arrival.  

Customers have taken to posting mobile phone and CCTV footage of bungling delivery drivers on social media in outrage.

In one incident in Romford, east London, footage shows men wearing DHL uniform violently chucking large parcels into a vehicle to loud crashes.

The 24-year-old engineer supervisor who filmed the clip said he was 'horrified' to see Christmas presents being thrown around. 

Another video, filmed by Neil Adams in Hertfordshire, showed A Yodel delivery driver hurl a package 50ft across a garden fence so he wouldn't have to open the gate and let himself in.  

A Hermes spokesman said: 'We successfully deliver more than 330 million parcels each year, and Christmas is our busiest time. We would like to apologise to anyone that has not received a good service.

'We have recently implemented new technology to enhance our delivery experience, including geo-location tagging, which enables us to identify exactly where a parcel was scanned, and 'Safe Place Photo' where couriers must take a photo of the location they have left a parcel. 

'This also helps us to ensure that our couriers operate to our strict delivery guidelines and that we continually improve the way we deliver.'

MailOnline has contacted Amazon and DPD for comment.  

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News Pictures How delivery drivers are using online notes to avoid dropping off parcels at Christmas time 

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